M5.6 earthquake 128 km W of Hihifo, Tonga
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 128 km W of Hihifo, Tonga on Tue, Jun 16, 2020, 6:24 PM GMT-12 (06:24 UTC), 282 km (175 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-06-17 06:24:18 UTC
- Depth
- 281.6 km (175.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 16.136° S, 174.979° W
- Region
- Tonga
- Strongest shaking
- III, weak shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- III, weak shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 0.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- -2.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Oblique normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 103°, dip 43°, rake -121°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 322°, dip 54°, rake -64°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 8.2 km horizontally, 3.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 53°
- Stations used
- 126
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.1112 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2289 days ago · 290 km deep · 31 km away
- 4.3121 km WSW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2288 days ago · 302 km deep · 11 km away
- 4.8165 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2263 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
- 4.2107 km WNW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2255 days ago · 277 km deep · 68 km away
- 4.550 km SW of Hihifo, Tonga · 2251 days ago · 116 km deep · 86 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayTonga earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000adb0 (also filed as iscgem618657053). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:14 PM UTC.